Stephanie Plum: Difference between revisions

Line 12:

The latest is ''Explosive Eighteen.''

[[Spin Off|There are also four "between the numbers" books]], with a slightly more paranormal slant (but still as hilarious as the rest of the series), with titles based on the word "Plum" and various holiday themes (so far, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween).

[[Spin-Off|There are also four "between the numbers" books]], with a slightly more paranormal slant (but still as hilarious as the rest of the series), with titles based on the word "Plum" and various holiday themes (so far, Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween).

The books are pretty funny, with surreal humour, [[Every Car Is a Pinto|exploding cars]], [[Cool Old Lady|the weirdness that is Grandma Mazur]] and some take-downs gone very dodgy.

Line 27:

*** In the between-the-numbers books, there's also Diesel, who has bad-boy characteristics.

* [[Anything That Moves]]: Vinnie. Seriously. The man once [[Noodle Incident|screwed a duck]]. Maybe.

* [[A Team Firing]]: Most of the time Lula and Stephanie can't hit their target, but do lots of property damage instead. Justified by neither of them having any training at all with firearms (Stephanie has repeatedly refused efforts by her boyfriends to teach her) and both usually being in a complete panic any time a situation that actually requires firepower comes up. Sometimes Stephanie gets lucky, though.

* [[A-Team Firing]]: Most of the time Lula and Stephanie can't hit their target, but do lots of property damage instead. Justified by neither of them having any training at all with firearms (Stephanie has repeatedly refused efforts by her boyfriends to teach her) and both usually being in a complete panic any time a situation that actually requires firepower comes up. Sometimes Stephanie gets lucky, though.

* [[Ate His Gun]]: {{spoiler|Larry Lipinski after he kills his co-worker, Martha Deeter.}}

* [[Arson Murder and Jaywalking]] "Hard to feel lucky when I've just let a depressed senior citizen slip through my fingers, found a dead woman in his shed, and sat through dinner with my parents."

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]] "Hard to feel lucky when I've just let a depressed senior citizen slip through my fingers, found a dead woman in his shed, and sat through dinner with my parents."

* [[Amateur Sleuth]]: In practice, she's more amateur detective than bounty hunter. She only starts investigating because of her bounties, but sometimes she is asked to find missing people.

* [[Auto Erotica]]: An interesting version when Stephanie, in an unintentional and [[A Date With Rosie Palms|literal]] version, climaxed when she rode a Harley Davidson for the first time.

Line 44:

* [[Black Bra and Panties]]: Averted with a [[Lampshade Hanging]] - when a cop is shot and Stephanie has to stop the bleeding with her shirt, she notes that she was glad she was wearing a sports bra.

* [[Bounty Hunter]]: Stephanie isn't so good at being one. Ranger is, and serves as Stephanie's mentor. Lula likes to say she's one, but she's terrible at it and it messes up her wardrobe too much.

* [[But You Screw One Goat]]: Vinnie doesn't stop at one, species or number. There's also a persistent rumor about Joyce being rather fond of dogs.

* [[But You Screw One Goat!]]: Vinnie doesn't stop at one, species or number. There's also a persistent rumor about Joyce being rather fond of dogs.

* [[Casual Danger Dialog]]: Spectacularly averted - whenever Stephanie is in serious physical danger, she loses all of her [[Deadpan Snarker]] ways and becomes a crying, terrified wreck.

** She's much more in control when she's only being threatened, but often collapses into a blubbering mess after.

** Ranger is a straight example--he seems pretty much completely calm and in control in every situation up to and including shoot-outs, except for {{spoiler|the time his daughter was threatened; even then, his composure was only mildly shaken, though he did manage to get himself shot.}}

* [[Cluster F Bomb]]: Nearly every sentence out of Sally Sweet's mouth, and occasionally by other characters.

* [[Cluster F-Bomb]]: Nearly every sentence out of Sally Sweet's mouth, and occasionally by other characters.

* [[Cool Car]]: Uncle Sandor's Buick. Guys love it (and have said the exact same phrase about it), and it's indestructible to boot. Stephanie doesn't share their opinion on the Buick's inherent coolness, because it guzzles gas like there's no tomorrow. However, she does appreciate the car's indestructibility, and on at least one occasion deliberately uses it.

* [[Cool Old Lady]]: Grandma Mazur, of course.

Line 58:

* [[Depraved Homosexual]]: Sugar, in ''Four to Score''. He lives with "Sally", and is in love with him. He tries to kill Stephanie because he believes she's stealing his boyfriend (when there's no actual relationship, as Sally is straight).

** Sugar was convinced that he was convincing Sally to try "batting for the other team."

* [[Differently Powered Individual]]: This is the theme in the between the numbers books, where, allegedly, people have different powers. The main antagonist in ''Sugar Plums'' [[Shock and Awe|calls lightning]], or is implied to. Diesel calls them "Unmentionables", or something to that extent. It isn't even explicit what their powers come from, whether they're [[Functional Magic|magical]], [[Psychic Powers|psychic]], or comicbook-style [[Stock Super Powers|superpowers]]. There's some lighthearted talk about "cosmic juju", though.

* [[Differently-Powered Individual]]: This is the theme in the between the numbers books, where, allegedly, people have different powers. The main antagonist in ''Sugar Plums'' [[Shock and Awe|calls lightning]], or is implied to. Diesel calls them "Unmentionables", or something to that extent. It isn't even explicit what their powers come from, whether they're [[Functional Magic|magical]], [[Psychic Powers|psychic]], or comicbook-style [[Stock Super Powers|superpowers]]. There's some lighthearted talk about "cosmic juju", though.

* [[Dirty Old Woman]]: Oh, Grandma Mazur. Much to the consternation of both of Stephanie's parents, who seem to have to listen to one of her descriptions of her love life every other dinner.

* [[Discretion Shot]]: The literary version, with at least two cases of make-out scenes stopping abruptly when the male partner to Stephanie reaches her groin area.

Line 72:

** By the thirteenth book, Steph finds out that all the Rangeman guys have been taking bets on when she'll blow up the next car. Ranger writes the ever-increasing cost off in his budget under "entertainment".

* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: In order of increasing hotness (or so the reader is told): Diesel, Morelli, and Ranger.

* [[~~Everythings~~ Better With Bob]]: From the reader's perspective, certainly. From Stephanie's too, as he often fertilizes Joyce's lawn.

* [[Everything's Better With Bob]]: From the reader's perspective, certainly. From Stephanie's too, as he often fertilizes Joyce's lawn.

* [[Extreme Omnivore]]: Bob. He eats just about whatever smells good, including furniture and car parts.

* [[Fair Cop]]: Joe Morelli, as most of Trenton's female population will attest.

* [[Fake Static]]: Stephanie does this on several occasions to either Morelli or her mother.

* [[Farts On Fire]] / [[Fartillery]]: Elmer the Fire Farter in ''Plum Spooky''. He blew up an entire mine with one misplaced fart.

* [[~~Firstperson~~ Smartass]]: Oh god...

* [[First-Person Smartass]]: Oh god...

* [[Friend On the Force]]: When Stephanie isn't on speaking terms with Morelli, she goes to one of her best friends, Eddie Gazarra, for inside information. He is conveniently married to her cousin, Shirley The Whiner.

* [[Food As Bribe]]: Stephanie's mother is [[Supreme Chef|a very good cook]], and can persuade Stephanie to do something in exchange for a hot meal and lots of leftovers. When that fails, [[I Was Told There Would Be Cake|cake never does]].

Line 88:

* [[I Am Big Boned]]: Lula. Sometimes she goes for [[Fat and Proud]] instead, but this is rarer.

* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: Most of the books have a number in the title, and they're sequential. There are four "between the numbers" books with holiday themes and the word "Plum" in their titles.

* [[In Series Nickname]]: Ranger's pet name for Stephanie, "Babe". Morelli calls her "Cupcake".

* [[In-Series Nickname]]: Ranger's pet name for Stephanie, "Babe". Morelli calls her "Cupcake".

* [[I Was Told There Would Be Cake]]: It's Stephanie's [[Trademark Favorite Food]].

** Her mother's Pineapple Upside Down Cake [[Food As Bribe|is enough to blackmail her into almost anything.]] She sometimes laments this fact.

Line 125:

* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Stephanie and [[I Was Told There Would Be Cake|cake.]] And Tastykakes, which even made their way into the movie when Morelli wonders how Stephanie can live on them.

* [[The Unintelligible]]: The thug in the rabbit costume in ''Hard Eight''. "Ga rogga!," indeed.

* [[Will They or Won't They]]: The very, very on-off relationship between Stephanie and Morelli as to whether they'll hook up permanently.

* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: The very, very on-off relationship between Stephanie and Morelli as to whether they'll hook up permanently.

** Also, the very, very on-off relationship between Stephanie and Ranger, considering [[Love Triangle|how jealous Morelli gets]] when bad-guy circumstances force Steph to crash at Ranger's.